Pitcher charged after minor league brawl

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:11:38 GMT —

A spokesman for the Peoria Chiefs minor league baseball team says the club is looking to the Midwest League to handle the aftermath of a 17-player brawl at Thursday night's game against the Dayton Dragons.

Fifteen players and both managers were ejected and a fan was sent to the hospital following a 10-minute, benches-clearing brawl in the Class-A minor league game between affiliates of the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs.

The ejections were reversed by the league president George Spelius and the game was completed with Dayton winning 6-5.

Peoria spokesman Nathan Baliva says the league president will hand down the appropriate punishments.

The fan was taken to the hospital after being hit by a ball thrown by Peoria (Cubs) pitcher Julio Castillo, who was throwing at the Dayton (Reds) dugout but missed during the first-inning melee between Midwest League teams. The fan was treated and released.

Castillo was arrested and faces one count of felonious assault. He is in the Montgomery County Jail and is expected to be arraigned Friday.

After a Peoria player was hit in the top of the first, Castillo hit two batters in the bottom half -- one in the head. The second hit batsmen by Castillo, Angel Cabrerra, made an aggressive slide into second to break up a double play. Castillo followed that by throwing his next pitch up-and-in to the next Dayton batter, prompting Dayton manager Donnie Scott to complain to the home plate umpire. Interim Peoria manager Carmelo Martinez, filling in for Ryne Sandberg, came onto the field to join the discussion.

The two managers began arguing, and when Martinez pushed Scott, the benches emptied.

Dayton shortstop Zack Cozart had to leave the game after being hit in the head with a pitch and Peoria second baseman Gian Guzman went out with a broken left leg, the Dayton Daily News reported.

During an hour-long delay, the teams protested the ejections by phone to league president George Spelius, saying they didn't want pitchers playing in the outfield to complete the game.

Spelius will take appropriate action once video footage of the game has been reviewed, Dayton general manager Gary Mayse said in a statement.

A telephone message left by The Associated Press left for Reds general manager Walt Jocketty, who attended the game, was not immediately returned.